Marie’s Nutcracker tells the charming story of a seventeen-year-old dancer on the cusp of becoming a professional ballerina. Marie is a good dancer, one of the best in her local dance studio. Yet she often feels insecure, particularly around Jasmine, a self-centered prima donna who has the starring role in the yearly production of the Nutcracker. Surprisingly, a Hollywood movie company comes to town to film its own production of the Nutcracker at the local mall. Many dance school students, including Marie, are hired as extras for the film and are delighted to be cast. During filming, Marie bonds with Whitney, a teenage popstar hired to sing in the film production of the Nutcracker. As friends, they find a path toward reinforcing the love of their art.
Exciting behind the scene action with many new twists and turns make Marie’s Nutcracker relevant to today’s teenagers. It is written for general audiences and contains no strong language or sexual situations. Fun and enjoyable and focused on dance.
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Marie’s Nutcracker
Author: Margaret Marie Klenzing
Illustrator: Rori Alexander
SES Publishing 2022
ISBN 9798356738111
Distributed through Amazon
Please reference the dedicated webpage: www.NutcrackerLtd.com for this book.
Margaret Klenzing is not available for an interview.
Margaret and her husband raised their four children on the east side of the San Fernando Valley— a lower-middle-class suburb of Los Angeles. She worked as a school secretary in the Los Angeles Unified School District to help support a family of six. She always wanted to be an English teacher and write, but the obligations of a large family made it impossible. However, she kept a journal, particularly detailing the lives of her only daughter and youngest son, who took ballet. It is from these journal writings that Marie’s Nutcracker emerged.
Margaret recounts:
Marie’s Nutcracker began as a short story. We are all familiar with the simple tale of an understudy taking over from an injured lead and then becoming a star. It is a timeless story told many times. But I had never read an account about what happened behind the scenes during the months of preparations that go into mounting the timeless Nutcracker ballet. I sat through countless rehearsals and dance classes my children attended and witnessed the dynamics of the dance studio. In my notes, I discovered a retinue of characters and situations that readers would find interesting and give a real sense of being in a dance studio. For example, we meet Sheila, a shy girl at that awkward age of being too tall to dance with the children but not tall enough or good enough to dance with the adults and resigned to playing a “boy” part. This happens every year; it is almost a given situation for any dance company putting on the Nutcracker. And we meet John, Marie’s best friend and primary partner in the dance school, who is gay and faces terrible bullying at school. The situation at the high school talent show happened to my own son. Although my daughter did not go on with ballet like my son (who danced for 25 years and opened his own dance school and Capezio danceware store), I witnessed hundreds of “Maries” struggle with the challenges of pursuing a career as a professional dancer. This book is for them.
I was also determined to author a story that included all races, ethnicities, and nationalities, which also made boys an integral part. Sorry to say, but white women still dominate ballet, and most ballets are presented as “girl” ballets. Look at the programs and advertising of most dance companies, and the photos are overwhelmingly comprised of white female dancers. I believe deeply that dance should be for everyone. To that end, I never describe the characters’ physicality in the story. I leave that up to the imagination and desires of the reader. Fortunately, I was introduced to Rori Alexander by a dance teacher friend. Rori is an accomplished illustrator who took years of ballet. Her illustrations clearly show that she understands the human physique and ballet positioning. I worked closely with her to ensure that when groups of dancers were shown, people of color were included. I truly appreciate her talent, and her illustrations help tell the story.
I’ve been asked about why I set the story in a mall. Originally, I had not given much thought to the setting. At the back of my mind was the issue of how to bring more revenue to ballet companies. I knew The Nutcracker was the number one source of income for all dance companies, but how could they increase their revenue? I was familiar with what is called controlled circulation publications, euphemistically called “throwaways” or “free publications.” Los Angeles used to have one called LA Weekly, listing restaurants, clubs, art galleries, and more. Most cities have something similar. I also noticed in the mid-2000s that some mainstream monthly publications reduced their subscription rates so low that they were virtually free. Obviously, they make all their money from advertising.
Advertising!
One day, it came to me: how about placing the Nutcracker story in a modern mall? I bounced this idea at my editor, and they encouraged me to run with it. The Nutcracker story is very simple— Act One takes place in a home where Marie’s nutcracker doll is smashed by her bratty brother and she lies down to sleep. In the Second Act, Marie’s dream occurs in the Land of the Sweets, where unique dances, like the Chinese Dance, reflect their unique setting. There is no plot in the second half. Even Tchaikovsky struggled with the lack of story. But, if Act One took place in some major stores like Apple, the children would receive electronic toys. Then, in Act Two, we move from store to store, each getting minutes on stage. For example, the Chocolate Dance could be held in front of the See’s Candies store. This way, major brands would gain minutes of exposure compared to the short five to ten-second exposure they get in major films— for which they pay millions of dollars. This would give advertisers minutes of stage time. Dance companies could obtain major advertising dollars from the mall stores because their store logos and products would be shown on stage for minutes of time. The other major benefit of placing the story in a modern mall is that it updates the setting to something all children are familiar with, toys with which they are familiar, and more inviting for boys. I mean, what boy today knows what a hobby horse is, as seen in traditional Nutcracker ballets?
Finally, I thought of the last time The Nutcracker ballet was filmed for TV. Way back in 1993, Macaulay Culkin walked his way through The Nutcracker. Obviously, the film producers thought a major child actor was needed to help sell the ballet. I thought a film crew could come to the mall to film their version of The Nutcracker, which included a recent teenage pop singer being guided from store to store like Macaulay Culkin was in his film. That would appeal to modern audiences resistant to seeing a “ballet film.” Special songs could be written to augment the ballet. Importantly, as a storyteller, it allowed me to contrast the pop singer’s life with Marie’s conservative classical ballet culture.
That became my other goal in writing this particular story. Not only to tell the charming story of Marie and her ascension to becoming a star but to help ballet companies earn greater revenue by updating their Nutcracker for the 21st Century. Placing the action in a modern mall allows dance companies to solicit significant advertising revenue. I hope some ballet company reads the book and becomes inspired to try my new setting for The Nutcracker. Understand, I love the traditional Dickens English setting, but why not try something new with new settings, new toys, equal access for boys and girls, and more? It is my hope that the story is adapted into a film. I believe significant advertising revenues can be earned from this innovative approach to The Nutcracker.
Finally, I would like to recount my experience writing Marie’s Nutcracker. As I mentioned before, Marie’s Nutcracker was originally a short, simple story appropriate for a Hallmark movie. It was OK, but it did not capture or honor the emotions and experiences I recorded in my journal about my two children and their challenges in becoming professional ballet dancers. I let the manuscript languish for a decade. Once I devised the idea to set the story in a modern mall, my creative juices exploded. My writing technique is to wake up early in the morning and stay in bed, letting my mind wander. While in a semi-conscious state, I test out various plot points and explore the consequences of those ideas. I’m a very visual person and see, in detail, people and situations and determine the impact each idea has on previous and subsequent plot points and characters. Then, I jot down ideas that work on a master plan, leaving the actual writing to a later time.
The act of writing goes quickly. I’ve never experienced “writer’s block” because I don’t write until I’m ready. I typically write 2,000 finished words a day. Once I finish a chapter, I run it through Grammarly© and Wordtune©. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, and I find them more accurate than the copy editors I’ve worked with. I don’t accept all their suggested corrections. I’m impressed with the interaction, almost dialogue, you have with the software to improve the grammatical accuracy of the writing. However, human editors can give important insight into style and overall storytelling.
Still, some of the finer details don’t come out until I’m actually writing. I knew what I wanted in the climactic scene on stage when Jasmine is injured and Marie is forced on stage to take the lead. But I didn’t know exactly how it would happen. It was weird, but I had an out-of-body experience where my fingers automatically typed, me not knowing what was happening. I was aware that I was reading the words for the first time on the computer screen. There was a plot twist (I won’t reveal here as a spoiler) I did not plan but just came out of my fingers. While I read the lines, I exclaimed, “Wow, I didn’t expect that. How did that happen? It makes so much sense.” I choked up and found myself emotionally overwhelmed. The plot twist helped tie a character and situation from earlier in the story. It bookends the story and is perfect. How wonderful. Writing is wonderful. I encourage everyone to write and tell their stories. Keep dancing.
2023
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